The present invention relates to photographic apparatus.
More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in mechanisms for transporting film in a still camera and for cocking the shutter of such a camera.
It has already been proposed to provide a still camera with an input member which is movable in substantial parallelism with the direction in which film is transported in the camera, to and from a position in which the input member extends in part beyond the camera housing and is in operative position. The movement of the input member effects cocking of the camera shutter and forward transportation of the film. The film used in such cameras has a longitudinal row of perforations, one for each film frame, and the camera has a tracking device which tracks the advancing film and enters into the respectively oncoming perforation to stop the film transport; at the same time an arresting member moves into blocking engagement with a component of the film transporting mechanism.
The prior-art proposal has certain drawbacks. Among these is the fact that the mechanism required to effect and control the various movements is relatively complicated and therefore expensive. In particular, complicated arrangements must be provided to permit free movement of the input member after the film has been transported and the shutter cocked, i.e., to make it possible to move the input member to, e.g. its rest position without influencing the film transport and shutter mechanism.